With more than 50 sales to her credit since her first publication back in 1987, Michigan’s author Nancy Gideon writing career is just as versatile as the romance market. Her range of books encompass different genres from regencies and historicals to the paranormal and contemporary suspense. Her works have also been published overseas in Russian, Portuguese, Danish, Romanian, Italian, German, Chinese and Icelandic among other languages. Her first series, Moonlight series features several books with interesting plots.

In the series, the characters have nothing to fear other than each other. Torn by loyalties, troubled by secrets, a deadly shape-shifter together with a dedicated cop are fighting impossible odds in the steamy New Orleans where the criminal empire is built on the treacherous alliances and the clan of ferocious Shifters who are in search of their prophesied leader. Having been officially released in 2010 with the novel MASKED BY MOONLIGHT as the forts book, the series is very unique in that the first 4 books follow the same heroine and hero: shape-shifting mobs enforcer Max Lavoie and Charlotte Cassie, the NOPD detective. The two make very unique pair; fierce and self-sufficient loners that are drawn together by the dangerous circumstance and held together by a passion both frightening and irresistible.

Masked by Moonlight

In this stunning first novel from Nancy Gideon’s sizzling series, a tenacious cop along with her shape-shifting enemy decide to sacrifice everything for the forbidden desire. All that she wants is revenge.

Charlotte Caissie, New Orleans’ homicide detective is very much dedicated to bring down the crime boss who is responsible for her the murder of her father. Using Jimmy Legere’s irresistible and mysterious right-hand man is a very dangerous gamble for her to take not only because of his reputation as being a monster more than man but also because her inner feelings for Max Savoie are quite complicated.

He then risks his life so as to save hers. Having been rescued from swamps as a little child, Max exists silently in the Legere’s shadow, following his voice only until Charlotte Caissie decides to awaken his emotions and test his loyalties. Stepping outside his cautious set of rules threatens more than just the heart. He could just expose his darkest secrets.

Now they are both in over their heads. By testing boundaries they were not meant to cross it will mean facing the whole truth about who and what they’re. They also need to know what they require from one another. In case Max is the murderer that she seeks, then Charlotte could just be his next victim. She cannot afford to trust any other man. However, the good thing Max is not one of those men.

The character growth in this novel is great. The story moves at a great pace, it’s interesting, it’s well-written and all the characters are likable. If you love the romances with MCs on opposite side of the law then this is for you. Even though there’s little focus on the shifter group, you’ll be interested in seeing how they actually really work. The second book in the series will certainly go deeper since Max becomes a part of them.

You might feel bad for Detective Charlotte Caissie because her own credibility is shot. She’s compromised it’s pretty hard to figure out how she expects to straddle the fence. As such she has to give up nearly everything, which makes the reader eager about how this plays out in the second book.

Chased by Moonlight

Things get more and more complicated for Charlotte Caissie when she’s appointed as the lead investigator in a certain high-profile murder case that points to her supernatural lover. In order to prove him innocent, Charlotte Caissie must distance herself from the prime suspect. However, the tangled emotions do not make it quite easy for Caissie to stay away and neither does Max.

Left in charge of the criminal empire and the protector of clan of the shadowy shape-shifters, Max walks in a precarious line. Can he actually believe the cunning stranger who is claiming that he can teach him the things that he needs to know so as to stay alive—a man who might betray anyone so as to make a profit—a conman who might be a ruthless killer?

Pulled between her own desire for justice and a man that she loves, the harder Charlotte Caissie fights so as to clear Max’s name. He is protecting the dark truth that might blow the top off her case. This means hiding all his motives and deceiving a woman who usually values the truth above any other thing. The woman who is capable of saving him if he will allow her.

The romance story between Detective Charlotte and Max Lavoie, the newly minted crime boss is progressing slowly at a natural pace when Max Lavoie becomes the major suspect in a series of killings targeting those people who are closest to the local politician. In a bid to maintain her objectivity, Detective Charlotte has to distance herself from Max Lavoie and continue working behind the scenes so as to clear his name. Unfortunately, Max Lavoie has dark secrets that aren’t helping the situation.

The story is quite enjoyable despite the problems with Detective Charlotte running hot at first then cold. She’s obviously not as emotionally invested in their relationship as Max Lavoie although she seems to be getting there quite slowly. In terms of Max Lavoie’s characterization, the submissive/dominant inconsistency persists.

A certain level of suspension of disbelief is needed with the plot since there’s a clear conflict of interests in Charlotte Caissie’s ongoing connection with Max Lavoie. That said, the investigations are good and the revelation of villain is exciting. The overall story arc in the novel develops in a very interesting direction with more and more details on Max Lavoie’s past which may have some consequences on his future life.

The secondary characters in the story also start to grow as the story moves on. Chased by Moonlight novel finally brings the reality of the extent of the challenges of achieving a happy life for the Homicide Detective Caissie who is in love with Max Lavoie, the mob boss who ends up being prime suspect in one of her investigations.

Jack Reacher is back! Personally I thought this was the 2nd best Reacher book yet. The latest book in the Jack Reacher series, Past Tense, came out November 5th. Family secrets come back to haunt Reacher when he decides to visit the town his father was born in. Why? Because when he visits there he finds out no-one with the last name of Reacher has ever lived there. It leaves him wondering - did his father ever live there? More Details.

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Featured Series

One of my favourite series is the Brilliance Saga by Marcus Sakey and it is our featured series of the month. It's just an incredible light sci-fi series that fans of "Dark Matter" would also enjoy. It's free on Kindle Unlimited too! More Details.

Featured Author

Our author of the month is Canadian author Opal Carew who writes erotic romance novels. Opal has written over 100 novels with multiple book series such as the Dirty Talk series and the Abducted series. If you’re a fan of erotic romance, be sure to check out Opal Carew.

Did You Know…

Much of Beverly Lewis' writing focuses on the Anabaptist heritage an the Old Order Amish. This is because her maternal grandmother was born into an old order Mennonite Church, which interested Beverly in her own heritage.